I walked through the long corridor, my mind scattered and absent. By the time I reached the royal hall, my legs had become so weak that I could barely stand.
“Are you the new painter?”
Hearing the voice of the young man from last night coming from above, I dared not look up. I lowered myself to the ground and answered, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Lift your head.”
I took a deep breath and slowly lifted my head. Before me, on the white jade steps, was the golden, wheel-like throne. The young king of Gugu, who had ascended to the throne only four years ago, sat upon it. He wore a purple robe embroidered with gold and a pointed golden crown. Just like the age suggested by his voice, he looked about my age, with delicate and handsome features. His light brown eyes held a smile at the corners of his lips. One leg was placed on the armrest of the throne, and he was not wearing boots. His posture was casual and unrefined, with the opening of his robe slightly ajar, giving him a rebellious and carefree aura.
“Why are you wearing a mask?”
“Because…” I touched the crescent-shaped mask that I never took off, even when eating or sleeping. “Thia humble one was born ugly.”
“Is that so? Let me see just how ugly you are.”
I was stunned for a moment, thinking he had summoned me to hold me accountable for speaking with the Saint Lord last night. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case. I didn’t understand why the king wanted to see my ugly face, but I didn’t dare defy his command. I pressed my lips together, removed the mask, and revealed the left side of my face.
As soon as I removed the mask, I distinctly heard the attendants around me inhale sharply.
There was a brief silence from above, and then a light laugh followed. “Indeed, quite ugly.”
“This humble one has sullied Your Majesty’s eyes, this humble one is guilty. Please, show mercy, Your Majesty.” I silently put the mask back on, concealing the scar that ran from my forehead to the corner of my left eye. This scar was from an old wound I had received fourteen years ago. The physician said it was caused by a sharp stone in the river. The wound was too deep, and after stitching it up, the stitches looked like the legs of a centipede, quite horrifying. This was the reason why, even though I had reached an age beyond the suitable marriage years for a man, I couldn’t find a wife. Which girl could bear to sleep beside such an ugly husband at night?
“However, your eyes are quite beautiful. They remind me of someone I liked when I was younger.”
I was once again stunned, thinking I had misheard. Confusion and fear filled my heart, as I truly couldn’t understand the purpose behind the king summoning me. I dared not speak any further and stayed kneeling in place, too afraid to move, feeling as if I were sitting on needles.
“Since you have become a court painter, you should no longer call yourself ‘this humble one.’ You should refer to yourself as ‘this minister,'” An eunuch by the side reminded me. I quickly corrected myself, “Yes, this minister…”
“Is this snow scene painting yours?”
I lifted my eyelids and saw him holding the unfinished painting. I nodded and replied, “Yes.”
“Fishing on the ice,” he tilted his head, looking at the painting. “Can you really catch fish this way?”
So, he was curious about the content of the painting?
This king… truly hasn’t lost his childlike curiosity.
It seemed that he had no intention of reprimanding me, and I felt a little relieved. Gathering my courage, I went on to describe in vivid detail how fishing on ice works, explaining everything from digging holes to tapping the ice to scare the fish. He listened, then burst into hearty laughter, clapping his hands in admiration. “Interesting, interesting! Truly, there are so many amusing things in the common folk. Do you have any other paintings? Let me see, are there any more interesting ones?”
“I left in such a hurry that I didn’t bring them with me.” Seeing his eyes momentarily dim, I quickly added, “However, if Your Majesty would like to see them, I can paint them for you later. All those amusing scenes and things are still in my mind.”
At that moment, a “thud” sounded, as if something had fallen to the ground from behind the throne.
“Ah!” A woman’s startled exclamation followed. “Why is the Saint Lord here?”
The king turned his head, and my gaze followed. Behind the throne, a curtain hung, and the sound seemed to come from behind it.
The Saint Lord?
I was startled, my eyes widening as I stared at the thick curtain behind the throne. For some reason, I felt an inexplicable desire to glimpse the true face of the Saint Lord, the one who had spoken to me last night. There were rumors in the world that the Saint Lord was the most beautiful person under heaven, like a god descending. It was said that just one glance at him would steal your soul, making you lose your appetite, and from that moment on, you would never want to marry anyone else.
As the curtain was lifted, I couldn’t help but hold my breath, but instead of the Saint Lord, a maid emerged, her head lowered. “The Saint Lord was here just now,” she said, “Perhaps he had something to discuss with Your Majesty, but before I could ask, he left.”
The king glanced at me, his brow slightly raised, and his gaze was filled with an unreadable meaning.
I lowered my eyelids in confusion, not understanding why he was looking at me that way.
“Your name is Tai Xue, correct?”
I nodded, replying, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Although this is the first time this king has met you, I feel quite a connection with you. From now on, I’ll call you Ah Xue, is that alright? Ah Xue, I also have a passion for painting. Today, I have some free time. Why don’t you accompany me to the hot spring garden in the back mountains to sketch? It would be a good chance for you to offer some pointers.”
I was taken aback by this sudden honor and didn’t know how to respond. But before I could say anything, a pair of gem-studded boots appeared before me, and hands gently lifted my arms. I looked up, only to realize how close the king’s face was to mine. The golden forehead ornament almost touched my face. It was only at this proximity that I noticed, although the king was handsome, his face was thickly covered in powder. Even with that, it couldn’t hide the faint dark circles under his eyes and the slightly hollowed cheeks, giving him the appearance of someone who was gravely ill.
I quickly took a step back and saw the king smile faintly before turning and walking toward the throne. “Come with me.” He said.
“Is it warm here? It’s no different from a spring day, right?”
I nodded, looking around. I hadn’t expected that, in such a high mountain and in the midst of winter, the vast garden behind the palace would be filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, warm and pleasant. The plants were lush and flourishing, and there were rare and exotic creatures everywhere, both birds and land animals, species I had never seen before in the valley below. I felt a surge of excitement, the urge to paint bubbling up inside me.
“Ah Xue, what do you think of this peacock painting of mine?”
Hearing the king call my name, I glanced to the side and saw him holding a brush, sketching a rough shape on the drawing board. Although the details were not yet drawn, the outline was quite lifelike, showing a clear talent.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Your Majesty’s sketch of the shape is very good.”
“But I can’t draw the tail.” He replied.
I looked at the peacock’s spread tail feathers. “Your Majesty, would you mind if I demonstrated a bit?”
The king glanced at me sideways, still holding the brush in his hand. “You hold my hand while I draw, and I’ll be able to remember.”
“This…” I hesitated for a moment, but seeing the pressure in his gaze, I had no choice but to hold his hand. I looked at the blue peacock perched on a tree not far away and quickly sketched the fan-shaped tail. I wanted to draw more, but I couldn’t bring myself to continue holding the king’s hand. I suppressed the urge and reluctantly released the brush.
“Why stop? Keep going.” The king said, unwilling to let go, grabbing my hand. I was startled, but suddenly, a flurry of wing beats and a sharp cry rang out beside us. The blue peacock had fallen from the tree, and at the same time, a large white shadow swiftly swept over our heads. A huge lump of bird droppings fell directly onto the king’s chest.
“Your Majesty! Your chest…”
I was afraid he would be angry with me, so I quickly tried to wipe it off with my sleeve, but he grabbed my wrist. He looked down at the bird droppings on his chest, and instead of showing any anger, he actually let out a chuckle.
“This king will go change clothes. Ah Xue, you can wait here. If you want to walk around, you may, but remember, do not go near the waterfall below the hot springs. It is a restricted area.” He said, handing me the sketch board and brush. I quickly took it with both hands and nodded.
After watching him return to the palace and seeing that there were no other palace servants in the garden, I finally relaxed. Holding the sketchboard, I wandered and sketched along the way, eager to draw every exotic creature and plant I hadn’t seen before.
As I was sketching a white deer, I suddenly heard the sound of wings flapping nearby. Looking up, I was surprised to see a large bird with white feathers and red wings, a bell tied to its foot. I had never seen it before, yet for some reason, it seemed strangely familiar.
The bird tilted its head, staring at me, as if it were examining me, almost as if it recognized me.
I couldn’t help but sketch a few strokes of its outline, not yet adding details, when I saw the bird flap its wings and take off. I couldn’t help but say “hey,” quickly following it. After a short distance, I saw ahead a misty haze, resembling a fairyland. My shoes and socks became wet from the creek that flowed across the ground, I had reached the vicinity of the hot springs.
Remembering the king’s warning, I dared not approach. However, the white bird landed on a rock by the hot spring and turned its head to look at me, as if beckoning me to venture deeper.
I held my breath, hesitating for a moment, but in the end, I couldn’t resist and stepped into the mist. Looking around, I saw that this area contained dozens of naturally formed hot springs of various sizes, reflecting a dazzling array of colors. They looked like gemstones casually scattered by deities atop this snow-covered mountain, breathtakingly beautiful.
The white bird perched on the rock, complementing the hot spring scenery in a way that was truly a rare and marvelous sight. I hurriedly found a rock to sit on and set down the pouch containing my paints and brushes.
Just as I was about to start painting, the bird took flight again, heading deeper into the hot springs.
I was frantic without the subject for my painting, so I chased after the bird, wading through the water, my shoes and pants soaked. I staggered through the water for a long while, but the bird disappeared, and I finally noticed the water beneath me had become much more turbulent. Ahead, I could faintly hear the roar of a waterfall. I immediately stopped, not daring to go further. As I reached for the rocks to climb out, something suddenly hit me hard, and a white shadow flashed by my peripheral vision. My shoulder loosened, and the painting bag fell into the water, it was the king’s painting bag. My heart skipped a beat, and I dove back into the water to retrieve it. I pulled the bag to my chest, but the current swept me away for over ten meters before I could even react. Suddenly, I plummeted downward!
“Plop!” I fell into the deep water, unable to touch the bottom. I struggled aimlessly for a while until I felt my back collide with a rock, and my head surfaced above the water. My feet finally touched the rough, rocky bed beneath, and I stood up, coughing and wiping the water off my face. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t help but freeze.
